Nearly 30 economic and workforce development projects in coal communities nationwide have been awarded a total of $38.8 million in federal funding through the Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative, the White House announced Wednesday. “The POWER initiative is one example of a new approach to federal engagement with communities that President Obama and his Administration have steadily advanced over the last seven years,” a White House fact sheet says.
The 29 projects receiving funding are located in Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia, Alabama, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Included in the funding is a $7.5 million grant for the University of Pikeville in Pikeville, Ky. to be used to purchase equipment, instructional supplies, and other materials to launch a new College of Optometry, $2.3 million for Upshur County Development Authority in Buckhannon, W.Va. to build a new business center, and a $1.65 million grant for the Mingo County Redevelopment Authority (MCRA) and Mingo County Public Service District in Williamson, W.Va. to provide potable water to the Mingo County Air Transportation Park, which is located atop a reclaimed surface mine in the center of the county.
“The Administration has abandoned an outdated, top-down approach to investing in communities in favor of a collaborative federal role that is driven by partnership with local leaders to link and leverage public and private resources and deliver comprehensive support that reflects locally identified priorities,” the fact sheet says.
The awards will be administered by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), and the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA). “With these investments, it’s estimated that 3,418 jobs will be created or retained, and an additional $66,970,000 will be leveraged through investments from other public and private partners,” the fact sheet says.
